


Our Ship is What We Make Her

by pirateherokillian (Pirateherokillian)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 11:31:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13386897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pirateherokillian/pseuds/pirateherokillian
Summary: Killian Jones was made for sailing. It’s been a vital thread to the very fabric of his makeup since he came into the world. Emma, on the other hand, was clearly not made for sailing.





	Our Ship is What We Make Her

**Author's Note:**

> Special shout out to my friend Jen for not only helping me out of a spot of writer's block and providing the prompt that kicked this story into gear, but for also being my second pair of eyes on the fic when it was finished! The title comes from 'A Sea Scout Chantey' written by James A. Wilder.

It was a well-known fact that Killian Jones was an exceptionally skilled sailor. He was a pirate, after all -  _the_  Captain Hook himself. Sailing came as naturally to him as breathing. She’d seen glimpses of his prowess during their time in Neverland, and of course he’d outrun a Dark Curse with just himself aboard his ship, but it was only after they were married that Emma really took note of just how  _good_  he actually was. It was skill honed by three lifetimes of commitment to the life. More than that, it was a passion that nestled itself deep inside his very make up. Killian Jones was  _born_  to be out on the water and he cherished that almost as much as she knew he cherished the life they were building together.

Which made the fact that Emma Swan clearly  _wasn’t_  even remotely made for the sea all that more frustrating. Because she  _loved_  Killian deeper than she’d ever loved anyone, outside of her son, and she  _loved_  his passion and prowess. And yet, no matter how hard she tried to translate that love into something resembling any sort of skill on the water, she fell short every damn time.

Henry was a natural, something she felt both a mix of pride and jealousy over. She both loved and hated the way her son and husband were able to bond over their sailing lessons and trips. She tried to take some sort of comfort in the fact that she’d  _made_  the ‘bloody exceptional sailor’ of a lad, but it was short-lived and overruled by an unfair pettiness when Killian had followed the proud exclamation with ‘just like his father had been.’

Even  _her_  father was more than decent out on the deck of the Jolly. Sailing became some sort of bonding experience for all the men in her life, and Emma so desperately wanted to chalk it up to some ridiculously sexist mentality, but knew that was just as unfair as hating how her son’s skill had come from Neal instead of her.

Because Killian was more than open to her joining along. Which she had at first, eager to show the man she loved that she cared about his passions and way of life. But when it became aggravatingly clear that Emma Swan, renowned Savior and returner of happy endings, couldn’t even handle advanced knot-tying, let alone sailing a massive, famous, fantastical pirate ship, she stopped accepting the offers. Killian took it all in stride, which made her feel even more beat up over the whole thing.

He was always so accepting of her choices and desires, and she couldn’t even get her shit together to be a part of one of his most revered ones. Eventually, she learned to accept it bitterly and at least enjoy in his passion from afar, two feet firmly planted on dry land more often than not as she did so.

Pregnancy, it seemed, was bound and determined to not let the feelings rest. Pretty much in the same way the growing baby inside her wouldn’t let her rest. Everything just coming to the surface, literally and figuratively, and she wasn’t afraid to let everyone around her know she wasn’t having it.

“I don’t know what you think bringing me out here will accomplish, Killian.” She grumbled as he lead her by the hand down the docks, the Jolly Roger his obvious intended destination.

“I think Emma’s right,” Snow added from where she was following along behind the couple. “She really should be home resting now.”

Killian didn’t pay any mind to their words, still pulling Emma along determinedly.

“I’m cursed when it comes to this ship.” Emma whined, hoping the mentioning of his precious Jolly would get his attention. Was it bad to feel jealous of an oversized boat? Odds were she’d look as big as a ship soon enough - throw a few sails across her arms and maybe she’d finally be able play some part in her husband’s lifestyle.

Killian chuckled lightly, glancing at her with shake of his head. “You’re not cursed, darling.” He offered encouragingly. “You just haven’t quite mastered the art of sailing properly.”

She scoffed at the gross understatement. “Babe, last time we went out on the water, I almost took off your other hand!” She trudged up the gangplank loudly, glancing up at the mast of the ship with weariness for a moment before dizziness caused her to stumble and trip her way onto the ship’s deck. Instantly, Killian had his arms around her, steadying her.

“Easy, love.” He soothed, bringing his hand up to rest against the side of her head. She tucked her head under his chin, squeezing her eyes shut and breathing deeply in and out through her nose to quell the nausea the dizzy spell had brought right to the surface. She hoped it wouldn’t be literally once again. Four times already that morning had been enough.

“Killian,” there was an urgent, motherly edge to Snow’s voice and Emma finally noticed the feeling of a small hand running soothingly up at down her back. “We should take Emma home. Let her rest.”

Emma felt Killian tense around her. “And do what, majesty?” She internally winced at the term her husband only reserved for when he was annoyed with her parents. “Have her continue to be sick over and over until she’s too exhausted to move?”

The hand from Emma’s back dropped away and she peeked an eye open to see her mother standing to her full height, arms crossed haughtily over her chest. “And how do you think bringing her out here to this swaying monstrosity is gonna help at all?!”

“I think if you just give my way a  _bloody chance_ , for once, instead of assuming I know nothing-”

“Oh, you know a lot about pregnant women, Hook?”

Emma pushed out of Killian’s arms. “Okay!” She held up her hands between her squabbling family members, glancing from one to the other in what she hoped was her best ‘I’m the sheriff, remember?’ look. “Please, don’t… fight… over me. Especially since I’m right here, perfectly able to make decisions for myself.”

Her mother let out a huff of air, glancing out towards the water. Killian look properly chastised at Emma’s words, at least.

“Sorry, love.” He rested his hand over hers pressed against his chest. “If you’d like to return home, we certainly can.” He smiled softly, thumb brushing over her knuckles. It made her heart feel like it was melting to goo right inside her chest.

“No…”

“Emma…” Snow sighed, looking back to her sharply.

“No, Mom.” Emma emphasized, leaving no more room for argument. “Killian’s clearly got his mind set on  _something_  aboard this ship that could help with,” She gestured with her hand to stomach, the swell of it just barely visible underneath the fabric of her shirt. “This pukey little pirate. And at this point, I’m beyond willing to try anything short of  _magic_ …” She raised her eyebrows at her husband. “It’s not magic, is it?”

He rolled his eyes. “Nothing as drastic as all that, I assure you.” He said in a cheeky voice, raising her hand to kiss at her fingertips.

“So what is it then?” Snow asked, her tone just as haughty as her stance. It was easy, at times, to forget her mother had been raised as royalty. This was not one of those times.

Killian pulled her hand back down. “If I may…” He guided her over to the ladder that led down into the captain’s quarters, releasing her hand so he could crouch and pull up the hatch. He then started down the ladder, turning back to offer his hand once again. Emma grabbed tightly, slowly letting him help her down each rung.

Once she’d planted her feet on the floor, Killian led her over to the bed. He gestured for her to climb up, and she did, dangling her legs over the side. She watched him expectantly.

“Lie back, love.” He gestured with his chin at the pillow. “And close your eyes.”

Emma raised her eyebrows, looking to the pillow, then back to her husband. “Wait, you brought me out here to take a nap?”

He nodded. “Aye.”

“Hook, she hasn’t hardly been able to sleep at home as it is. I hardly believe being here, of all places-”

“Snow.” Killian’s voice came out in a commanding Captain’s clip. He eyed her down with a look that matched. Her mother effectively snapped her mouth closed, though she still clearly wanted to keep saying more. Killian then turned his focus back to Emma, his expression softening. “Emma… please?”

She could see the concern for her, the need to heal all her hurts, sitting heavily in his bright blue eyes. It made her heart do the melty thing again and she nodded.

“Okay…” She leaned up on her palms to place a reassuring kiss to his lips. “I guess one nap aboard a pirate ship can’t hurt.”

\----

She’d only intended to keep her eyes closed for a little while, but the gentle swaying of the ship on the waves had lulled her into sleep far faster than she ever imagined. And when she woke, feeling more rested than she probably had in months, she found the cabin lit by the light of lanterns, the evening sky visible through the window over her shoulder. At the table in the center of the room was Killian, legs stretched out atop the wooden surface, a book nestled in his lap. He’d taken off his jacket, vest, and boot at some point.

“You’re quite handsome, you know.” She openly flirted, the rest she’d clearly gotten making her feel light and relaxed. She didn’t even bothering to lift her head from the pillow, far too comfortable to even contemplate getting up.

Killian glanced up sharly from his book, smiling when he saw her watching with a smile of her own. “Aye,” He slammed the book shut and deposited it on the table. “So you keep insisting.” He raised an eyebrow, lowering his legs and pushing out of his seat. He made his way over to her easily. “How are you feeling?”

She reached out and grabbed his hand as he came to settle on the side of the bed, looking down at her with curious affection. “Like I finally got more than a couple hours of sleep for the first time in forever.” She yawned and covered her mouth with her other hand. With a shake of her head to clear the cobwebs a bit, she couldn’t help but give him a look of wonder. “How did you know?”

Face flushing as if embarrassed, Killian scratched at the back of his ear with the tip of his hook. “It was just something I very vaguely recalled from when I was a young lad. My father mentioning how he’d take my mother out on the ships when she was sick while carrying Liam and I…” He shrugged and shook his head as if it was no big deal that he was discussing precious memories from his childhood. “‘ _We Jonses are made for the sea_.’,” He imitated his father with a deep voice.

Swallowing, giving Emma a shy smile, Killian reached out and rested his hand on her stomach, covered in the thick blanket he’d laid over her while she’d napped. “You’ve got a little Jones inside you, lass…”

Emma could see the awe and admiration in his shining gaze as he’d said the words. She knew he had meant nothing but good with it all, from the idea to bring her out here, to the reference to his mother. But his words still brought a painful understanding and it suddenly felt like her warm, happy cocoon of rest had been plunged into freezing cold water. Her eyes started to fill with tears before she had a chance to try and hide it from Killian.

His own eyes widened in concerned and he pulled his hand away from her as if he’d harmed her, holding it up in uncertainty. “Oh Swan, I’m sorry…” He mumbled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what… I didn’t mean…”

She grabbed his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, while using her other to wipe angrily at her eyes. “No, Killian…” She sighed, finally moving to push herself into a sitting position. She rested back against the wall of the ship, looking at him pathetically. “I’m sorry. It’s…” She looked to their joined hands, resting on her blanket-covered thighs. “It’s stupid, really.”

Scooting further onto the bed, Killian leaned on his left arm, his hook resting up near her hip on the mattress. “I’m sure it’s not, my love.” He leaned in and gently rubbed his nose against hers. “Tell me?”

Emma sniffed, waiting for him to pull back a fraction so she could look up at him. “It’s just…” She shrugged helplessly. “Our kid is already way better at this whole sailor thing than I’ll ever be.” She tried to laugh it off, but more tears spilled over as she did.

“No, Emma…” Killian breathed out, moving to gather her in his arms. She dropped her head to his shoulder, her breath hitching as she tried desperately not to let her jealousy over her own child get the better of her. “Hey, hey…” Killian pulled back again and took her face lightly between his hand and hook. “My, sweet, sweet, Swan. You’re  _not_  a bad sailor.”

She look at him incredulously. “Killian, come on. We both know I’m not cut out for your life.”

He quirked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow. “Considering  _you_  are my life, I’d have to strongly disagree.” Emma made an exasperated noise, pulling out of his grasp to look down at her lap. His fingers were resting under her chin not a second later. “Hey, look at me.” When she did, his eyes were dead serious. “The sea is always gonna be a part of me. It’s in my bones, that’s for certain. But while I may have been a sailor and a pirate first for quite a good bit of my life, I’m now  _your_  husband and the father of our child before all things.”

His words made her heart feel like it was melting a dozen times over on an endless loop and Emma pressed her lips to his wordlessly. He returned the kiss with an equal fervor, hand sliding up her jaw to rest just under ear. She lost track of time for a moment or two before she pulled her mouth away from his, Killian dragging her bottom lip between his as she went.

“I just wish I was better at this part of your life.” Emma confessed. “I know how much you love it, even now, and I wanna be a part of it-”

“You still can, love.” Killian interrupted, eyebrow raised as if to call her out on all the times she’d turned down his offers to go sailing.

“And do what? Sunbathe on deck, sipping rum, while you do all the work?” She joked.

Killian shrugged. “Why not? You are a princess. You should indulge that reality every once in a while…”

She squinted as he dropped his gaze and his hand, fingers moving to fiddle with a loose thread hanging off the collar of her shirt. “You just want more excuses to see me in a bikini, don’t you?”

His blue eyes were anything but innocent as he peeked up through his lashes at her. She snorted and shoved lightly on his shoulder, causing him to laugh. When he settled back to his earlier spot of hook at hip after a moment, his look had grown a fraction more serious.

“It’s alright that you’ll never be the finest Captain of the seas.” He frowned playfully. “Truth be told, I’m much too happy to keep that title for meself…” Emma gasped and shoved at his shoulder again. Killian chuckled, reaching up to take her hand in his. “Jokes aside, love, you don’t have to be good at the things I’m good at. We’re from very different worlds and that’s alright… you might not ever pick up the hang of running a ship, and I’ll certainly never understand your adoration of supposed ‘comedy’ films.”

“Hey!” Emma squeezed his fingers sharply. “Napoleon Dynamite is a  _classic_.”

Killian raised both eyebrows this time. “It’s bloody idiotic and pointless is what it is,” He mocked childishly with a slight shake of his head. He sobered quickly and looked at her, deep love softening his features. “But your love of it makes you… you. And you, not some well-equipped sailor, is who I fell in love with.”

Flushing, Emma felt her eyes well up with tears again. “Damn it!” She sniffed, swiping at her nose. “You need to quit saying shit like that when I’m pregnant or the waterworks will never stop.”

“I’ll try, love.”

Emma didn’t need her superpower to know the words were a blatant lie. “No, you won’t.”

He grinned. “You’re right, I won’t.” He admitted, pecking her lips sweetly before rising up so he could move over her and settle in between her and the wall running the length of the small bunk. Emma shifted so she was resting against his side, his hook tucked up against her hip securely. A quiet settled over them and soon enough, both found themselves on the verge of sleep.

“I don’t think your sailing is idiotic and pointless.” She mumbled into his button down.

Killian snorted sleepily. “I know, love.”

“You’re actually a very sexy sailor.”

“That is quite nice to hear confirmed after all these centuries.”

Emma grinned and then looked up at him. He was resting back against the wood, eyes closed. Looking as handsome as she’d ever known him to be. It was clear he was just at home in that bunk, on that ship, as he was in their bed in their house. And Emma realized maybe she could finally be too.

“I’d like to maybe learn to be a sexy sailor too…” She whispered. “If you’d still like to try and teach me.”

Killian smirked, peeking an eye open as he looked down at her, an adventurous twinkle amidst the blue. “Aye love, I’m more than willing to try.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me over on Tumblr as pirateherokillian, and Twitter as pirateherojones!


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